Package making device



July 20, 1965 R. H. COCHRANE PACKAGE MAKING DEVICE Filed April 10, 1957 INVENTOR. RICHARD H. COCHRANE DES JARDINS Q ROBINSON HIS A'i'TQRNEj/S United States Patent 3,195,289 PACKAGE MAKTNG DEVICE Richard H. Cochrane, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Phillips Petroleum Company, a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 10, 1957, Ser. No. 651,932 1 Claim. (Cl. 53-182) This invention relates to a package making and packaging device and method in which the packages are formed concomitantly with the packaging of the goods, and it particularly pertains to a package forming and packaging device for new or laundered shirts, and such goods, which are placed in the partially formed packages on the .end of a supply sheet of packaging material, after which the individual terminal package is cut oif in sequence and each sealed along the cut to close the cut edge and that of the supply sheet from which the completed package has been severed.

Heretofore, the practice has been to form a sheet into a chain of individual containers and then sever the individual containers from the sheet, either before or after they have been filled with the articles to be packaged. An alternate practice is to form a folded sheet to pro vide one large container with the articles therein, and, thereafter, form it into several smaller containers by transversely sealing it at spaced intervals lengthwise of the sheet for forming individual containers which are subsequently filled.

The foregoing practices, however, do not lend themselves to packaging articles of varying shape and sizes and do not facilitate fitting the container to be formed about the article to be packaged therein. The containers are first completely formed, and the articles are thereafter placed therein.

Accordingly, one of the main objects of the invention is a device for concomitantly fabricating the container and packing the article therein.

- Another object of the invention is a packaging device which is simple in construction and effective in operation.

Another object of the invention is a method of fabrieating the container concomitantly with the packaging of the goods therein.

Another object of the invention is a packaging method in which the containersare formed from plastic film material which is adapted to be heat sealed when cut from the supply stock.

Another object of the invention is a method which provides for the containers being made from a transversely folded sheet or a tubular sheet slit longitudinally along one edge to form the folded sheet.

Further objects, and objects relating to details of construction and economies of operation, will readily appear from the detailed description to follow. In one instance, the objects of the invention have been accomplished by the device and means set forth in the following specification. The invention is clearly defined and pointed out in the appended claims. A structure constituting a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective front view of a device, with parts cut away, embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective rear view of the device.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the transverse cutter for cutting off the packages from the supply sheet and sealing the cut edges.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a reel of a supply sheet having one longitudinal edge closed and the opposite 1ongitudinal edge open.

"ice

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a reel of another embodiment of a supply sheet having a longitudinal opening along one side.

Referring specifically to the drawings in which like numerals designate like parts, numeral 2 is a portable device in the nature of a table or bench supported on legs 3 and provided with a bottom storage shelf 4 and a top working shelf 5, the latter shelf being surrounded by a back wall 6, end walls 7 and open at the front.

One end of the table or bench has supported thereon a reel 3 of stock supply sheet material 9 of transparent plastic film which is festooned over idle roll it), a gravity roll 11 and a roll 12 over which the sheet material 9 is spread out flat and nipped by a vertically movable gravity roll 13, said roll 13 being preferably of rubber or similar composition material, or covered with such material.

The gravity roll 11 is provided on each of its opposite ends with a pinion 14 meshing with a rack bar 15 vertically disposed to provide a limited vertical range of movement for said roll 11 to be elevated from its normal lowered position.

A brake device 16 is provided at one end of the supply reel 8 which is normally held in braking position but may be released or overcome by the weight of the gravity roll 11 in being lowered from an elevated position to unroll the reel as the supply sheet is used without overrunning. The brake and its operating means are conventional and are, therefore, referred to generally without details of their specific construction which are not a part of the invention. Any conventional braking mechanism and brake operating mechanism can be employed.

The supply sheet 9 of FIG. 4 is a rectangular sheet doubled transversely to provide a closed longitudinal edge 8a opposite the other longitudinal edge which is open at 812. This supply sheet is fed from the nip rolls 12 and 13 across the top of the device, beneath the top shelf 5, to the opposite discharge end having a take-off shelf 17 with an angular bottom 18. The supply sheet 9 is fed through the device beneath the top shelf 5 with its open edge 8b towards the front of the device and its opposite sides, adjacent the open edge, spread apart by a V-shaped spreader 19, said spreader having a main V- shaped body portion with a closed bottom end 20 and terminal front ends flanged at 22 and 23 to be fastened to the frame of the device by screws 24. The main V-shaped body portion of the spreader 19 is disposed with its closed end extended to the rear of the device so that it will extend into the open edge 81) of the supply sheet for the top side of said supply sheet to pass over and above the spreader and the bottom side thereof to pass under and beneath the spreader. Accordingly, the open edge of the sheet is opened wide in conformity with the shape of the spreader. The bottom or closed end 20 of this spreader may advantageously be longer, longitudinally of the device, than the open side edge in order to have the top and bottom sides thereof, towards the discharge end of the device, closely adjacent to the take-off shelf 17. A transverse cutter 25 is pivotally mounted on the device above a platen 26 that is disposed between the spreader 19 and the take-off shelf 17. This cutter comprises a cutter blade 27 secured to a box-like housing member 28 in which is housed a member 29 having edges 39' of the sidewalls 30 inturned to terminate slightly spaced from the blade. This member 29 is vertically movable within the housing 28 and is biased to its normal position, as shown in FIG. 3, by springs 31. It is mounted within the housing in any desired manner to provide for vertical movement. The blade 27 is electrically heated to sever and seal the cut edges of the supply sheet. The cutter 25 is pivoted to one end of the platen 26 for transversely cutting off the terminal package 32 and heat sealing the cut edge 33 of the package and the cut edge 34 of the supply sheet, it being understood that .this supply sheet is heat sealing plastic material, such as polyethylene. handle 35 on the frontsthereof. and, when saidhandle is pulled down against the platen 26,.the member 29 will be retracted against springs 31 to permit the blade 27 to projectpast'thefterminal edges 30'. These edges The cutter 25 is operated by 3 impinge against the supply sheet to:hold it stretched to effect a clean cut by :theiblade'27.

As the supply sheet is drawn beneath the top shelf, a shirt from the supply'stack 36 is inserted into its open edge 8b, .and the filled terminal package '32is then pulled by the operator past the cutter 25 to be suspended against the back Wall of the take-off shelf 17 in position to becut 01f and drop into said shelf. The supply sheet as it-is packaged andafter a terminal package is severed is pulled along in 'positionfor the next terminal package to be likewise severed.

The elevation of the rack bars for the gravity roll 11 is about equal to the-cut off length of the terminal package, and the gravity roll will be elevated as the supply sheet is pulled alo'ngto place the next terminal package in position to besevered, As'this roll 11 gravitates back intolowered position, itwill overcome the braking action on this supply reel'to unwind said supply reels for the same way as is sheet 9-with'the main topside of portion 42of the supply sheet passing above the spreader 17, and theubo'ttom side of portion 43 and thefolded margin 44 passing below said spreader. The shirts are inserted into-"the opening 41 of the supply sheet, over margin 44,. and thereafter this margin 44 is lifted over the end of the. packaged shirt.

The manner of mounting the supply reel on the device, feeding samefrom the reel festooned over an ide roll, a gravity roll and a pair of nip rolls ,=-and braking the reel to prevent overrunning as it is intermittently unwound for-the terminal end to be formed into a package and -severed,-are-shown.in my application SerialNo. 616,567

filed October "17,'-1956-whi'ch is incorporated herein in full as-alpar't "of the disclosure thereof.

The device is" especially suitable for use in laundries for packaging shirts, sweaters, and the like. However,

it is not limited to any particular use but pertains to a device which'forms the package and packages the goods from supply sheets as distinct from first forming the packages and then filling the packages.

It will be understood that there may be various changes in details of construction of the device and the method without departing from the spirit of the invention broadly as indicated by the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and useful, and'desired to be secured by the United States Letters. Patent, is:

In a packaging machine, a platform for supporting an article to be packaged between webs of heat-scalable material, an elongated heat sealing arm pivotably secured to said platform for movement into a position in parallel, abutting relation therewith, said arm being equipped with a longitudinally-extending electrical element on the side thereofadapted to abut said platform, and a pair of longitudinally-extending members in said arm reciprocably mounted therein and arranged on opposite sides of said element, said members beingretractable intosaid arm upon engagement with said platform to expose said element, said platform being equipped with a raised portion aligned with said arm and sized to be engaged between said members.

Referencesflited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 24,396 11/57 Rumsey.

1,270,501 6/18 Dohn 53-391 1,557,032 10/25 Cooper 53-28 1,810,864 6/31 Vogt.

2,180,966 11/39 Salfisberg 5328 2,237,119 4/41 Smith 53-182 2,272,251 2/41 Robinson 5328 X 2,272,530 2/.42 Patterson -L 53-28 2,385,229 9/45 Patterson 53l80 X 2,447,014 8/ 48 Irmscher 53-l4 2,475,950 7/49 Eaton 53-180 X 2,555,758 6/51 Noble et a1 53180 2,565,444 8/51 Waters 53-28 X 2,636,730 4/53 Eaton 53-389 X 2,649,035 8/53 Cloud 53-177 X 2,679,280 5/54 Marsh.

2,693,067 11/54 Williams 5328 X 2,721,017 10/55 Hiscock 53 -177 X 2,747,346 5/56 Tigerman et al. .4. 5328 2,824,596 2/58 Crawford 53256 X 3,006,122 10/61 Weishaus.

3,067,553 12/62 Rivman et al.,

FRANK E. BAILEY, Primary Examiner.

ROBERTA. LEIGHEY, Examiner. 

